Shadows from the Past
by Idle Snapdragon
Summary: Living with her guardian, Ulrick in Esper City has been the only life Faylenne has known. But when mysterious, cloaked figures begin to appear, everything changes. She has enemies she never knew of and her unknown past is about to come back to haunt her
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1  
**

The room was stuffy and dusty. The heavy scent of books and old parchments stifled the air, and what little light the small, shuttered window let in revealed a table set up against a windowless wall and a couple of chairs sprawled carelessly around it. Several boxes with documents and writing poking out the top cluttered the rest of the room. A young girl picked up a particularly old looking parchment, unrolling it and scanning it curiously. It was titled "Esper City and It's Origins". She wandered over to a chair and sat down, propping her legs up on the table covered with other, smaller boxes. She began to read.

_"It is a long held belief that Esper City was once the home to humans who harnessed the ability to summon unique creatures with mystical powers, called 'Espers'. These people, known simply as 'Summoners', could command the Espers to do their bidding, and due to the Espers' great strength and abilities, Summoners wielded frightening power. Their home originated in this very city, thus giving Esper City its name._

_Throughout the years however, Summoners' numbers dwindled. Inevitably, they soon became an extinct race and their Espers were scattered across the city, abandoned and unused, hidden from the untrained eye. They were forever lost and it has long become a mere myth told in children's stories and fairytales. No actual proof of this has ever been revealed and has long become wild speculation._

_There is also rumours that their decendants still live on, unaware-"_

"Faylenne! Faylenne? Come out here and help me with these boxes!"

The girl jumped and leaped out of the seat, knocking several boxes onto the floor and scattering their contents. She cursed, stumbling to the floor in an attempt to sort the mess.

"Faylenne!," the voice shouted louder.

She scrambled to her feet, forgetting the mess and sprinted out the room. Outside, she saw a figure balancing boxes and suitcases precariously. Rushing forward, she grabbed a few boxes from the man's arms.

"Sorry Ulrick," she apologised sheepishly.

Her cheeks turned red at the thought that he might have caught her snooping through his documents.

He grunted. "At that speed I could have outrun you. Even in my old age!"

She rolled her eyes but smiled, walking into the house.

"Where do I put these?," she asked as her guardian, Ulrick dumped a pile of boxes just inside the doorway.

"Hmm? Oh, just put them in the new study area along with the rest."

Peering curiously at the contents while heading to the small, dusty room she discovered even more paper work.

"And no snooping!"

She ducked her head and ran away guiltily.

* * *

After a quick examination of the upstairs rooms, Faylenne came down the stairs, jumping off the last step. She looked around, liking what she saw. This house was one of the best they had lived in. They moved house often, never staying in the same house for more than 3 years. Fay even dared to ask him once why they did so but she only got a short, unelaborate answer in return, with the same tone of voice that told her he didn't like the question.

She sighed. Hearing movement behind her, she looked to see Ulrick emerging from the study room.

"Tired already?", he gruffed.

She snorted. "No."

"Good. Could you go into town and get me some rolls of parchment?"

"More paperwork?" Fay sighed in exhasperation.

"Yes, girl and I expect you to come back with none of your special detours!"

"But what could possibly need so much paperwork? What are you working on? You never tell me."

"It is my own personal study, and none of your business!", he said in his don't-like-the-question tone. "Now go get me the scrolls and no more questions!"

He gently pushed her towards the door.

"And don't forget your practice sword."

Fay rolled her eyes and grabbed it on the way out, tucking it inside her white jacket. Ulrick insisted she have a weapon with her at all times - 'you never know when you might need it', he'd say. Fay took the munny from Ulrick, then ran forward before turning around.

"You will tell me one day!", she shouted, referring to his paperwork.

"Faylenne!", he warned.

She flinched, knowing she had pushed him too far. She turned, running towards the town.

* * *

"That's strange. I could swear this was the way..."

In all the years Faylenne had lived in Esper City, she had never been lost before. However, she had never lived on the outskirts of the city before and the many twisting alleyways confused her normally good sense of direction. Just as she thought of stopping to ask for directions, she saw a figure to her right. With a jolt of recognition, she realised it was someone she knew and went towards her smiling.

"Skye", she called happily.

The blonde haired woman, who was leaning on a railing overlooking the street below, looked over her shoulder in alarm. Her face relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Faylenne", she smiled. "You startled me."

Fay grinned. "Sorry."

"It's okay." For some reason Skye looked distracted and her blue eyes showed worry. She looked back down at the street below.

"Is something wrong?", Fay asked moving forward.

Skye frowned. "Actually, yes."

She followed Skye's line of sight and looked down at the lower street. It was epmty apart from the lone, dark figure standing silent and still. Ahead,a tram cut across the path, rattling in the distance.

"Who is it?", Fay murmured.

"That's what I want to find out. He's not the only one i've seen. There are others with that same black coat. They're...strange."

She looked at Skye in amusement. "We get strange people in Esper City everyday."

Which was true. Esper City was well known for getting the strangest people seemingly appearing from nowhere with absolutely no background or past. It was so common, that unlike in other places, the people had become accustomed to it.

"Yes, but these ones seem more sinister. More suspicious."

Fay made a thoughtful noise. There was a silent pause before Skye spontaneously said "I know!"

Fay was slightly alarmed by her outburst.

"What do you think about going on an undercover mission?"

"Undercover? You mean spy on him?"

Skye's eyes sparkled. "Exactly."

The idea of spying on the mysterious figure suddenly made Fay excited and she began to grin. Skye's expression became serious.

"However, it is dangerous. You need to be discreet and you need to stay close. But without being too close."

"Yeah, yeah. I know", Fay rolled her eyes, eager to get to the good part. She shifted from foot to foot restlessly.

"This is serious Fay", Skye said sternly.

She stopped shuffling her feet and nodded.

"I understand. I won't mess it up."

* * *

Looking round the corner, Fay quickly retreated again with a hand on her racing heart. Just around the corner was the mysterious figure she was to spy on. The thought of watching someone completely unaware gave her a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Peeking around again, she saw that the man was facing away from her so she sneaked closer. The man looking about. However, he never turned, much to Fay's relief.

On the higher level of the street stood Skye. She watched Fay nervously, out of sight from the cloaked figure and hoped that Fay would be careful. As she thought this, Fay moved closer - too close. Her heart jumped in alarm.

"No, Fay", she murmured. "You're too close."

On the ground, Fay's curiosity was getting the better of her. She was dying for a closer look. With one eye watching from the corner, she could see him standing and wondered what he was doing. He seemed curious about the area. Why he was, she couldn't tell. Two people walked across the street, chatting and laughing. The mysterious figure's attention snapped to them and Fay could just imagine the piercing glare he must be giving them. With his attention so fixed, she took this chance and leaned out of her hiding place, eager to see more. With one hand on the wall steadying her, she saw that the man looked ready to step towards the two people. Fay sighed. There was nothing to see of the figure except his long black cloak. She took her hand off the wall - which was a mistake. Misguiding her footfall, she slipped and stumbled onto the street, in plain view should the man turn round. She scrambled back onto her feet, louder than she thought. Before she knew it, a blade was at her throat.

"Are you following me?"

The cold hard metal pressed against her skin and she could hardly breathe. The blade was huge - it was curved and attached to a long handle which the cloaked figure now held. It was the first scythe she had seen. Fay tried to imagine she was doing one of her and Ulrick's practice sessions which sometimes ended up in the same position she was in now.

"I said, where you following me?" The man's voice grew steely. The weapon increased its pressure, biting into her neck, and all thoughts of Ulrick's practice sessions dissolved. She cursed her inability to speak when she was scared.

Following the handle of the weapon to the man's arm, then to his face, she couldn't see much. His face was a mere shadow underneath his hood. She thought she saw a smirk. The pressure of the blade eased a little and Fay took this chance to jump nimbly aside. She did not want that blade to be anywhere near her neck any longer. Reaching into her coat, she drew her sword.

"Oh, so you can fight", the man in black remarked. "Then let's see what you've got!"

He swung his scythe downwards in a challenge. The man was more imposing than Fay thought. He stood over a full head taller and she could see his huge muscles through the leather of his cloak. Fear made her tighten her grip on the hilt but she tried to remember what Ulrick had taught her, including not to grip the sword so tightly that you tire within the first minute. She relaxed her grip.

The man jumped forward. She reacted instictively with a block and jumped backwards. He didn't wait and attacked again. Once again she blocked, their blades ringing with a loud metal clang but the force of it shocked her and she staggered back.

"Come on! You must be better than that", he goaded.

Fay took a deep breath and gathered her courage. Adjusting her grip on the sword, she took a swing and connected with his scythe. For a moment their blades were locked together and Fay could see another smirk.

"Is that all?"

He was mocking her but she wasn't paying attention. Analyzing the way their blades were held together, Fay twisted her sword and forced the scythe round to the side away from her. Without a pause she went for his vulnerable side, yet not fast enough. The man jumped aside and struck her sword back. She persisted, attacking at different areas in different ways, but he blocked every strike. Despite forcing him backwards, he merely stepped back in a casual manner as if it took him no effort at all.

Fay quickly tired. This was bad. Evidently, having had enough, the man lunged forward unexpectedly and Fay cried out in alarm, only just blocking the fierce attack. She staggered backwards and he raised his scythe for another blow. She flung her sword out. There was a flash, then the impact. Fay's eyes widened when she saw another figure.

"Skye!"

Between the man and Fay stood Skye, blocking both weapons with a long, thin shield that ran along the length of her arm. All three were locked in a tight, tense huddle.

"Oh? This fight is getting interesting."

Skye's eyes flickered to the man in black, looming over them like the grim reaper. Behind her mask of calm, Fay could see slight signs of strain on Skye's face. She flexed her shielded arm, disconnecting both weapons and swinging the scythe away. Before he could recover, Skye grabbed Fay's arm and pulled her swiftly into a nearby alleyway, away from the mysterious cloaked figure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Skye", Faylenne wheezed. "Wait!"

She stopped running and Skye turned around.

"Sorry, Fay", she said shortly, breathing heavily.

Fay put her hands on her knees to catch her breath and only just realised her legs were shaking.. Steadying herself on the wall, she looked back at Skye. She was standing taut with a slight frown on her face. She looked concerned, and a bit annoyed.

"Skye, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh Fay, it's alright", she replied wearily, relaxing. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have let you do something so risky."

Unable to think of something to say, Fay looked at the ground in awkward silence. Skye shifted the shield on her arm before she stopped and smiled unexpectedly.

"Well! Let's not worry about that now. We're safe - that's the important thing", she declared cheerily. "Now lets get you home."

Fay straightened and smiled, suddenly feeling better. Home sounded good and she followed Skye across the street towards her new house.

* * *

Once in sight of the house, Fay ran forward into the garden. Ulrick was standing, presumably taking a good look at the small, modest building before turning around at the sound of Fay's approach. He smiled. Skye appeared at the gate.

"Ah, Skye! Good to see you," Ulrick greeted.

"And you," Skye replied respectfully with a small smile.

"What brings you here? Do you like the house?"

"The house is lovely. However, there is something we should probably discuss."

Fay slinked past Ulrick, wanting nothing more than to pretend bad at all had happened.

"Oh? What would that be?," Ulrick enquired.

"How Fay and I got into a spot of bother, which ended with Fay in a little fight."

She'd blown it.

"Faylenne," came a stern, commanding voice.

Fay flinched and stopped at the threshold of the door.

"Come here," Ulrick commanded.

With shoulders hunched, Fay slowly made her way back to Ulrick's side, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?," he asked, a low rumble of warning in his voice.

"Um...," Fay shuffled her feet uncomfortably. She didn't look up at her guardian.

"Ulrick, if I may," Skye interrupted. "It is not entirely Faylenne's fault."

"Really? Then would you like to tell me what happened?"

So Skye explained eveything, from when she let Fay spy on a mysterious figure to when she fought him, then they both escaped. At the mention of the black cloaked man, Ulrick's face drained of colour.

"A man...in a black cloak? What did he look like?," he directed at Fay. His voice was haunted.

Fay looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't see his face."

"Then...what else can you tell me? There must be something."

His voice was becoming sharp and Fay was bewildered.

"Well...he-he had a scythe..."

That seemed to calm Ulrick down and he rubbed his scar that ran down his right cheek.

He suddenly looked much older to Fay - his dark brown hair was laced with grey and his brown eyes didn't hold the same spark that they used to.

"Do you kno-," Fay faltered. "Why do you want to know?"

She was about to say 'do you know him' but deemed it too risky a question and quickly improvised. She didn't want Ulrick to get annoyed. It had been bold nonetheless.

"No reason," Ulrick dismissed it. "I just thought..."

He shook his head and Fay looked down again, watching him from the corner of her eye. Skye was silent.

"Never mind, Faylenne," Ulrick concluded. You're safe now and that's all that matters. Now off you go. You haven't unpacked yet."

Fay eyed him rather suspiciously before slowly making her way back to the house.

"Oh, Faylenne!," Ulrick called. "Did you get my scrolls?"

She stopped and slapped a hand over her forehead. After the commotion with the cloaked man, she had forgotten what she was out to do in the

first place.

* * *

Once Faylenne had run back into the town with clear directions on how to get there, Ulrick and Skye began to talk.

"Ulrick. Something is bothering you," Skye said gently.

He stopped what he was doing and gave a tired sigh. Skye frowned. She could see the age creeping onto his face too.

"Did you know that man?" She got straight to the point.

"No, but it could have been-," he stopped himself.

Skye seemd to know vaguely what he was talking about.

"That's not all that's worrying you, is it?"

Ulrick looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You're getting old," she said kindly. "Maybe it's time you settled down. Stay in this house. Don't keep moving. You're getting weary - I can see it."

"You know why I move houses, Skye. I have to protect Fay-"

"It's been years Ulrick. Nothing has happened."

He grumbled and rubbed his scar - a sign he was troubled.

"Maybe it was time you told Fay-"

"No," Ulrick snapped. "she cannot know the truth."

"She's 17. Surely she's entitled to know-"

"You know how she will react. I will not have her running off chasing some hopeless dream that she believes."

Skye went silent and tried to come up with some sort of solution. She found none.

* * *

Faylenne made her way into the heart of the city, sighing in relief when she got there. Esper City's centre consisted of four squares, all flanking a bigger, central square. Each one of the four squares had two tram lines cutting across each other in the middle that ran off to different parts of the city - tram cars being the main mode of transport - and four flower beds rested where these lines crossed. The centre was always double-leveled - paths below and above - with many tall buildings. As they reached further out into the less busy areas, the buildings became single-leveled and more detached. Eventually this led into a forest which surrounded the whole of Esper City. Faylenne's new house was close to the forest.

Walking into the central square at the very heart of the city, Fay stopped to regard the crowds of people. Many shops lined the square, more like a market-place than rows of shops. She stepped into the mass of people, carefully keeping to herself. While strange people were common-place in Esper City, Fay's silvery white hair was unique here and she got the occasional glance of interest. They were labeling her as one of the strange, she knew. She quickly bought the parchments and made her way back, just wanting to get home.

A gasp erupted from the crowd. Fay stopped and looked around her in mild confusion to see that all eyes had turned skyward. Following their gaze, she spotted a dark figure on a church rooftop and a low murmur echoed through the crowd, some shocked, others awed.

"It's Maxeill!"

"...Maxeill."

"Maxeill...?"

It was so sudden, and Fay just stood for a moment. Unsure what to make of the situation, Fay eventually tapped someones shoulder, asking who it was.

"You mean you haven't heard of him?," said the bright-eyed young woman as if it was someone worldly famous. "That's Maxeill!"

Fay bit back the comment of 'I gathered that' and frowned slightly. She tended not to listen to idle gossip of the town's goings on and waited to see if the woman would elaborate.

"You know," she continued with a little uncertainty. "The man everyone's been talking about...?"

"Do you know anything about him?," Fay asked, still not quite getting the answer she wanted. This was so confusing to her.

"Not really. That's the whole mystery of it! He appears from time to time, but no one knows why he's actually here. Some say he lurks about stealing people's hearts! But of course...that's ridiculous, right?"

"Yeah...," Fay replied absent-mindedly, looking up at the figure again.

The so-called 'Maxeill' was dressed in a long, dark-blue cloak - so dark it almost looked black. His face was obscured by a hood and he took a casual step to the edge of the roof, the toe of his boot sticking off the edge, seemingly unperturbed at the gawking crowd below. It was almost as if he didn't know they were there. He reminded her of the other mysterious cloaked man - the one she fought. But his cloak had been completely black, and made of leather. As far as Fay could see, this man's cloak was made of fabric and of course, wasn't black. She tried to see his face underneath the hood but the sun was behind him, and the angle he was at made it even harder.

His head snapped round to Fay's direction.

The suddeness of it almost made her stagger back. He was looking right at her. Or was he? Surely not...? However, she couldn't deny it. The intensity of his unseen gaze rooted her to the spot and fixed her startled eyes on his hidden face, as if sucking her in and forcing all her attention onto him. Everything else seemed to fade out. It was as if he was challenging her, seeing who would look away first. It was only then Fay realised she hadn't been breathing. Letting out a sudden gush of breath, she broke eye contact and glanced around, making sure it was her that had caught his attention. Of course, she was surrounded by people, so it was pointless.

Suddenly, more gasps burst from the crowd and Faylenne whipped her head back to the roofs.

He was gone.

He had simply disappeared and Fay wondered if he had jumped off or gone across the other roofs.

"...went over there! In the direction of Arthe Tower..." she caught drift of someone saying.

That was north of the central square, not that far away. She made a quick decision and ran through the thinning crowd, curiosity getting the better of her once again of the mysterious cloaked figure.

* * *

Wherever the strange man was, Faylenne wasn't having much luck finding him as she approached the huge tower reaching up to the sky. Vaguely disappointed, she took slow, casual steps towards the base of Arthe Tower, looking from side to side.

No one.

She was merely steps away from the base now and paused, stopping in mid-step. A chill crept up the back of her neck and she absent-mindedly rubbed it. Odd, she thought. It must have been a sudden chill when she had stepped into the shade of the building in front of her. She put her hands on her hips and, using her foot, tapped the ground twice with her toe, craining her neck to see the top of the building. She looked left. Nothing. She looked right - and leapt back in fright. A cloaked figure loomed over her.

"Looking for me?," he said in a silky voice that sent chills down Fay's spine.

She backed away, opening her mouth to say something but no words came out. The man followed her pace. His sudden presence alarmed Fay, and he would not stop advancing towards her until her back hit the solid wall at the base of the tower. She was quickly certain that this was Maxeill, as he donned the same dark-blue cloak with the hood up. He towered over her. His hand leaned against the wall, blocking Fay's escape as he stood, silent and waiting.

In the shade of the tower, Fay could almost see the man's face. Locks of pitch black hair could barely be seen under his hood. His most startling feature were his eyes. They were such a strange colour - the iciest blue Fay had ever seen. They were almost white, full of a strange spark and they watched her now, alert and searching, waiting for her reaction. As if waiting for her to speak first.

"You're Maxeill...," she breathed. Once again, she was annoyed at her loss of breath when frightened.

Maxeill's eyes flickered in what Fay thought was amusement, yet it was hard to tell.

"And what do you think?" His voice rose and fell so smoothly it was like an unbreakable flow of water.

"I've never seen you before," she replied, sliding along the wall slowly. He followed her movement. "I don't know what to think."

Something like disappointment flashed across his face, but it was gone instantly.

"Yet you followed me here." He sounded mildly amused.

Fay couldn't keep up with his sudden, yet subtle, changes of facial expressions.

"You picked me out of the crowd," she observed. "Why?"

The man's mouth curved upwards slightly.

"You really don't remember."

What did he mean by that? Fay was confused. She began to feel more and more uncomfortable by the second.

There was a long moment in which neither said anything and Fay couldn't stand the close proximity of this man any longer. In one quick movement, she slid away and tried to leap out of range, about to draw her sword. However, Maxeill was lightning fast. With amazing ease, he grabbed her arms, stopping her and spun her back round, shoving her against the wall. He leaned even closer, his hands like a tight vice on her arms and his eyes burned into hers.

"He's coming," he almost snarled, his voice dangerously low. "He's already here."

"What?," Fay breathed. She trembled and tried to wriggle from his painful grip.

"You can't hide from him much longer. _He will find you_."

Without another word, he let go of her and Fay staggered forward as she was no longer being held up. Before she could regain her balance, Maxeill was gone in a swift flurry of his cloak. She gasped as she caught him in the corner of her eye, jumping over her and onto Arthe Tower. She ran forward and spun around. He was gone.

"What do you mean I can't hide any longer? Hide from who?," she yelled furiously at the lonely tower, getting nothing in return - only silence.

* * *

**Please tell me what you think! It will get much better once i've got into the story fully, so keep reading if you're remotely interested ;)**

**Kingdom Hearts (C) Square Enix****  
Faylenne, Ulrick, Skye, Maxeill and Esper City (C) me  
Maxeill in particular is mine, and entirely mine. Please do not copy his name or him, himself, thanks!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**~Shadows from the Past~**

**Chapter 3**

"Faylenne, focus!"

A sword flashed into view and Fay's mind automatically sharpened into the present, blocking Ulrick's strike.

He grunted. "At least your reflexes are still sharp!"

The morning sun was just coming up, creating a soft orange glow in the front garden. Fay frowned slightly and took her fighting stance. Leaping forward, she started a sparring round with Ulrick, Skye watching attentively. Ulrick studied Faylenne's techniques with a skilled eye and was happy to see she had improved, yet not happy how quiet she was. She was usually a lively fighter who always had a lot to say during training - often so much he had to remind her to concentrate more on the fighting and less on the talking. He saw how her eyes wandered. He worried that Fay knew he was keeping secrets from her. But she couldn't know. It would only bring harm...and more heartbreak than he wanted her to bear.

Fay was so distracted in her own thoughts that she couldn't even keep her mind on the training. The words of that dark-blue cloaked man, Maxeill, kept echoing in her head from yesterday.

"_He's coming...he's already here. You can't hide from him much longer. He will find you._"

Who was coming? And she wasn't hiding from anyone! It seemed like some sort of silly omen.

So caught up in her own thoughts, once again, she hardly knew when her sword was flung from her hands and she fell backwards. The impact of the ground jolted her awake. A sword hovered above her throat.

"When in a real battle, you need to have all your attention on your opponent. If you don't, you're dead."

Blunt, as always. The time when the black-clad man had his scythe at her throat flashed through her mind. Men in cloaks. Where had they come from all of a sudden? Why had both become involved with her? While the two could easily relate to each other, they seemed to have seperate agenda's.

"Faylenne! Drag yourself out of that vast mind of yours!"

She frowned, more from embarassment than annoyance.

"Sorry Ulrick."

He offered a hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Since you seem to be distracted," he scolded, stressing slightly on the word 'distracted', "you can watch me and Skye."

Fay didn't fuss and focused on what the two people in front of her were doing.

Skye was a blocker. While her arm-length shield did have a point at the end which could alternatively be used for attacking, she specialised in defense and disarming the opponent of their weapon. Faylenne had always been impressed with her techniques. She more than made up for her lack of a sword.

Fay shuffled from foot to foot, feeling agitated and restless. She desperately wanted to take a walk. She needed to go on one of her 'special detours', as Ulrick had always called it. When Ulrick finally did give her permission to go, she went without a moments hesitation.

* * *

When he saw Faylenne go towards town, Ulrick got even more worried. The incident with the black-cloaked man was still in his mind - the description was too familiar. He couldn't have Fay by herself. Not until he was sure. Hastily moving into the house, Skye followed with uncertainty, wanting to know what had got Ulrick so flustered. She found him rummaging through some baxes he had yet to unpack.

"Ulrick?," Skye enquired carefully.

She knew something was really bothering him. He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache due to stress. His thin beard was beginning to look straggly and unshaven.

"I can't have Faylenne wondering the streets until I know it is safe. Those cloaked figures," he looked Skye in the eye, "Do you think it could be them?"

Skye contemplated. "...I don't know."

Ulrick searched the boxes again and found what he was looking for - a dusty, brown cloak. Without another word spoken he headed outside, shrugging the cloak onto his shoulders.

* * *

Once Faylenne was in clear sight of the place she was looking for, she smiled. It was in a quiet place of the town, away from the busy bustle of the centre. Hardly anyone came here - it was just by chance that Fay found it many years ago. Situated in a long abandoned street, there was one particular building that was different from the others. It differed in shape and had such strange markings, settled snugly between two normal Esper City buildings. It matched the height of the double-storied buildings so it didn't stand out from a distance. Walking over to it, Fay nestled into one of the grooves at its base, sighing and resting her head on it. This quirky building brought strange comfort to her, odd as that seemed. She didn't know why. Yet whenever she had a troubled mind, like she did now, coming here eased her thoughts and let her relax. She never told anyone - who would understand? They would find it strange, and Fay could never explain. it. It was a building - how could it bring comfort? She found it weird herself, but she just came to accept it and make it a place to sort out her problems. So what if it was an odd comforter to Fay? If it worked, what was wrong with that?

* * *

The sun had reached high in the sky by the time Fay made her way into the town centre. As she reached one of the four squares that flanked the centre square, she was greeted by a strange sight - near a row of shops a small crowd had gathered. Shouts and complaints were heard and Fay noticed the cause of the crowd's anger. A scrawny, young man stood in front of them all, looking worried and imploring. His features made Faylenne's lips twist in a smirk. He had blonde hair which was styled in a mullet, giving him a rather quirky look. It didn't look like anyone would take him seriously. Then she saw his clothes and Fay's heart skipped a beat. He wore a black cloak, just like that scythe wielder. Her curiosity growing, she began to listen in.

"Ohh," mullet-boy whined. "But you _have_ to tell me. It's important!"

"We don't care if it's important!," one of the citizens shouted.

"Yeah! We're not telling you anything!," said another.

"But I _must_ know where Ulrick is!," mullet-boy complained.

"We already told you..."

Fay didn't listen to the rest. She was so shocked that she momentarily forgot to breathe. He mentioned Ulrick! But how did he know him? And why was he looking for him? This was becoming very, very strange.

She caught sight of something and focused on the crowd again. A black mass of something appeared, as tall as a man, which Fay could only describe as some sort of black hole. The crowd gasped in shock, quieting for a moment.

Someone walked out of it.

The crowd muttered nervously and backed away slightly. Another black hole appeared and someone else walked through it. Fay was fascinated. The two new people joined the young man with the mullet and Fay saw that they too had black cloaks. A grip of fear twisted in her stomach. Were these the 'others' with black cloaks Skye had mentioned?

While she couldn't pick out details of their faces, she did see that one man had long, startling blue hair, whereas the other had dark hair streaked with grey, tied back in a ponytail. It looked like one eye was covered with an eyepatch. She listened to them intently.

"Demyx," the blue-haired man almost snarled. "What do you think you're doing?"

His voice was dangerously low and the young man - Demyx, if she heard right - cowered, as if in fear of the taller man.

"I-I was a-a-asking them a-about Ulrick," he stammered. "He's here! Really! B-but I don't know where!"

The blue-haired man hit him a death glare and the crowd got noisy again.

"We're not telling you nothing about Ulrick!"

"You lot should just clear off now!"

"You're not welcome here!"

"Go bother some other city!"

The fierce looking man practically snarled at the crowd, demanding an answer while the man with the ponytail just stood and watched with an amused grin stuck on his face.

Fay grew irritated and moved towards the commotion. She was desperate to intervene and sort out the argument - they were looking for Ulrick. She had to do something about it. The man with the eyepatch casually looked over in her direction. An arm pulled Fay back.

"Let me go!," she protested.

A figure with an old, brown cloak was pulling her away. Fighting and struggling, Fay accidently knocked the person's hood off.

"Ulrick!"

She stopped struggling. The black-cloaked man's one eye widened in surprise.

"We need to go," Ulrick said quietly and urgently. "_Now_."

They ran into the nearest street, away from those who were looking for Ulrick. The man with the eyepatch followed.

* * *

"Ulrick, they were looking for you," Fay gasped.

He still had her by the arm, making her walk swiftly through the City - back home presumably - and he hadn't stopped to let them catch their breath. He didn't answer Fay's comment.

"Ulrick!" Panic edged her voice.

He looked at her, just for a moment. He contemplated what to tell her. Sighing, he stopped and rubbed his scarred cheek, finally letting go of her arm. Fay frowned, staring at her guardian a little impatiently.

"Faylenne...," he began. "Those men-"

A bang cut him off and something purple whizzed by them, clipping Ulrick's cloak. Fay yelped and Ulrick spun round. Standing there was the dark-haired man with the eyepatch. He held a gun - one that Fay had never seen before.

"Well, well Ulrick," he chuckled. "You have given us the slip for a long time."

Fay stood rooted to the spot, her mind racing with questions. _Was he hiding from them?_

"Do you realise the trouble you've given the Organisation all these years?"

_The Organisation?_

"But not anymore. You're coming with us." He pointed his gun at Ulrick.

_Where are they going to take him?_

"I'm not going anywhere, Xigbar," Ulrick said.

_Who was Xigbar?_

"Ulrick?" Fay asked fearfully.

_What did they want him for?_

The man called Xigbar switched his attention to the young girl, narrowing his eye slightly.

"Do I know you?"

Ulrick pulled Fay behind him. "She is none of your concern. It's me you're after, is it not?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." A second gun appeared in his other hand. "Now come along, and I won't hurt you and your little friend."

* * *

**Too many cloak descriptions, I know! It can't really be helped...**

**You should know these guys are organisation members, and which ones they are by now. If you don't, you can't call yourself a KH fan, so just get out of here now and play the game properly XD **

**Tell me what you think so far!  
**

**Kingdom Hearts and their characters (C) Square Enix****  
Faylenne, Ulrick, Skye, Esper City etc etc (C) me**


	4. Chapter 4

**~Shadows from the Past~**

**Chapter 4**

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I've been incredibly busy recenty, and I found writing about a gun v sword fight really difficult lol It took me several tries, but I hope it is still good - tell me what you think!**

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Gripping onto Ulrick's cloak, Fay glanced fearfully at the man called Xigbar brandishing his gun at them. His sharp, hawk-like features were fixed into a challenging grin. Cutting across his cheek was a large, ugly scar that almost mirrored Ulrick's on his other cheek. Fay wondered about the significance of it, if there were any.

"I told you before," Ulrick said. "I'm not going anywhere."

He reached into his coat and brought out his sword - the larger one that he only had for real battles. Practice was done with a smaller, more modest one. Fay started, wondering if he had come prepared, which just worried her more, but sensibly let go of Ulrick and stepped back. Xigbar's eye, flickering over to her just briefly, darkened as if trying to remember a long-forgotten face. It spooked her.

Nonetheless, he looked at Ulrick again and laughed.

"What are you using _that_ puny sword for? Where's your k-?"

"Enough, Xigbar!" Ulrick lept forward and started the battle.

Xigbar immediately disappeared into his own black-hole - it looked different to the one Fay had seen before - and he appeared again behind Ulrick. Firing a few shots, they barely missed, clipping Ulrick's cloak. Fay sucked in a nervous breath. What she found strange were the bullets. They weren't normal ones - they looked like large, purple crystals and wherever they landed, they lingered for a moment. Ulrick spun round, dodging the other, unique bullets that quickly followed. He ran forward but once again, Xigbar disappeared before he could reach him, warping to a safe distance. This time, he was upside-down and he shot several, fast bullets. Fay watched him, transfixed, as he walked upside-down in mid-air. She wondered how he could do it - to defy gravity like he did.

Suddenly, he stopped shooting and started doing something to his guns.

"Reloading", he said.

As he did, Ulrick saw an opportunity. Aiming his sword, he dashed forward with a speed no one would have known he had, aiming right at Xigbar's chest. Seeing this, Xigbar's eye widened. He dodged sideways at the last moment, but Fay thought she saw the sword nick his arm just slightly. Warping away, Xigbar landed lightly on the ground at a small distance. He had a dark look on his face, then inspected his arm. Part of his cloak was cut open and Fay could see a little bit of blood. Xigbar gave two short, sharp laughs.

"Oopsie daisy. Another scar?" He looked up at Ulrick. "I keep forgetting that I shouldn't mess with old coots like you."

Ulrick's back was to Fay, so she couldn't see his face. He said nothing. Xigbar grinned again and raised a gun. Ulrick braced himself, setting his sword in a defensive position

"Maybe I should stop going easy on you."

He disappeared. Ulrick searched for where he would appear again. However, nothing happened. Fay looked around nervously.

A small dark portal appeared suddenly and a hand with a gun came out of it.

"Ulrick, watch out!" Fay cried.

The gun fired. Ulrick spun round. Fay covered her mouth and gasped but, just as she thought they hit, the bullets bounced off in the opposite direction. Ulrick had blocked with his sword where the bullets would have hit his chest. The gun retreated and quickly appeared elsewhere. Ulrick suspected this and blocked again. Xigbar didn't give up. He repeatedly appeared and disappeared, shooting at Ulrick in all directions. Ulrick could do nothing but block.

Fay began to panic. She needed to help him. She needed to be his second pair of eyes. Pulling out her sword, Fay lept forward to watch his back. She had quick reflexes, so was confident in deflecting any shots to relieve the stress for Ulrick.

"No!" he barked, getting in front of her in fear that a stray bullet would hit her.

The firing stopped for a moment and Xigbar finally made an appearance. He loomed above them, shooting unexpectedly. Ulrick shoved Faylenne while moving back himself and the strange, purple bullet lodged itself into the ground where they once stood. Xigbar stood upside down again, giving Fay a long, hard look. She returned it with a glare. Ulrick immediately put himself between them. He pushed Faylenne away and swung his sword up. Xigbar saw this, brought his gun forward and connected with the sword. Ulrick looked suprisingly furious, which Xigbar also noticed.

"What's wrong, Ulrick? I thought this fight was about us. Or", his voice grew interested, "is it about the girl? What are you not telling me, huh?"

Fay looked at Ulrick. What did Xigbar mean? She became concerned, and suspicious, when Ulrick scowled. He wrenched his sword away, nearly making Xigbar lose a hold of his gun, who then warped away to save himself from another swing. He landed back on his feet, shooting Ulrick again without a pause.

To make matters worse, two portals took form and the two people from before walked through - the blue-haired man and the younger one with the mullet, Demyx. Xigbar grinned triumphantly and continued to shoot, slowly walking round Ulrick in a circle. All three black figures now surrounded Ulrick, who growled in frustration. He couldn't deal with three people at once, Fay knew. Not when he had to concentrate on blocking Xigbar's bullets. Fay's blood ran cold when the man with the strikingly blue hair produced a giant of a sword. It was so strange, she began to wonder if it even was a sword. It's rounded end had huge spikes that made Fay's eyes widen. He looked menacing - and he was heading straight for Ulrick. Now Fay knew she really needed to help. Yet how could she, when there was someone with _that_ kind of weapon? It would crush her. It will crush Ulrick!

The man raised his weapon, ready to strike. Ulrick was defenseless against it. Fay nearly cried out. Then, Ulrick gave a signal, one Fay didn't recognise. Someone ran into the scene. When Fay saw the long, blonde hair, she finally understood. Skye had been watching, waiting for a signal if she was ever needed. Fearlessly, she intercepted the blue-haired man. She hit his mighty sword aside with her strong arm-shield, but it was hardly fazed. His sword was too heavy.

Fay grew annoyed as she watched them now, fighting. Ulrick never let her help. She hated sitting in the sidelines doing nothing when she had the ability to fight just as well as Ulrick or Skye. Yet she couldn't disobey her mentor, not now, so she watched quietly as the four figures fought. Demyx stood back, looking just as worried and uncertain as herself.

Xigbar and Ulrick continued their fight. Xigbar zipped about in his unique black-hole of his, firing several bullets in different directions in an attempt to get through Ulrick's defence. However, Ulrick unfailingly blocked his shots, taking his chance to get near whenever Xigbar had to reload. Skye on the other hand looked horribly outmatched against the strange man with the weapon as tall as himself. His strikes were so powerful that Skye had to compensate her defending techniques - she could do no more than redirect his blows to the ground. A full-on block would probably send her flying. Whenever she did redirect his strikes, he was left open for Skye to attack, which just seemed to make him more irritated and ferocious with his attacks. When he got too fierce, Skye nimbly dodged aside, the heavy sword crashing down were Skye was seconds before.

Fay wasn't sure what to do. It didn't feel right for her to just sit back, but she had never really been in, or seen, real combat before. She had only done practice sessions with Ulrick all these years. Thinking of Ulrick, she turned to watch him anxiously. She could see the tired strains on his face and just grew even more anxious. He caught her watching for a moment.

"Get out of here", he ordered. "It's not safe."

He saw the defiant flare in her eyes.

"Now!"

"But Ulrick-!" She faltered when she saw his anger.

"I'm not in the mood to argue!"

She backed away, shaking her head. She couldn't leave now, not able to know or see what would happen to them. What if they didn't come back?

Meanwhile, the man Skye was fighting whipped his head around in Demyx's direction.

"Are you just going to stand there, or will you do something?" he asked.

The chillingly calm menace in his voice sounded scarier than if he had shouted it. The young man shook in fear.

"Uhh..." he quavered, looking at the four fighters nervously. Unsure of what else to do, he used the only thing he could control - water.

To the four that were fighting, a huge wall of water was what they least expected. Unfortunately for Demyx, he didn't aim very well. Instead of Ulrick and Skye, he hit his comrades, and the force of the water unceremoniously flung both black-cloaked men backwards. Ulrick and Skye stopped where they were, momentarily stunned. Fay's mouth hung open. Poor Demyx had a look on his face of complete horror. For a short time, no one moved, too caught up in the unexpectedness of it all. Ulrick was the first to snap out of it and motioned to both Skye and Fay. "Lets go!"

They took their chance and retreated, Ulrick having to drag Faylenne away from the scene in front of them. They were gone before the two shocked figures on the ground could even register it.

As soon as it had happened, Demyx knew he would be in big trouble. When the two figures sat up, he backed away, terrified. Xigbar just sat there, looking bemused and still a little surprised. However, the other got up slowly, soaked through completely. His boots squelched noisily and water dripped off every part of his cloak and off his bright blue hair, half of which was plastered to his face.

"Demyx..." His voice was so low and snarled it would send chills down the toughest man's spine. "_What...was_..._that_?"

Demyx knew he was _definitely_ in big trouble.

* * *

**Author's Note: Please leave a review! Constructive critisism is important to me, so I appreciate it =) **

**(And I hope you like the ending! XD)  
**

**Kingdom Hearts and their characters (C) Square Enix****  
Faylenne, Ulrick, Skye, Esper City etc etc (C) me**


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